SWEET PEAS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 April 1939, Page 9

SWEET PEAS

SOW THEM IN AUTUMN. There is no worse fault the sweet pea grower can commit than to coddle the seedlings. Many growers ruin their chances by treating the sweet peas as tender subjects in the early stages. More frequently it is excessive wet that is the chief trouble in winter. Cold they can withstand so long as it is dry. Each grower has a special date for the sowing of the seeds but the months of April and May are quite suitable times. Just as soon as the seeds are up some support by means of small twigs should be provided. If the seed is sown in the open ground, stretch some black cotton along the rows to keep away the birds. Progress should be fairly rapid, andjust as soon as the plants have made three pairs of leaves the growing poin.' should be pinched out. With their longer season of growth, autumn sown seedlings can usually be relied upon to make stout basal growths. The appearance of these is accelerated where the pinching is done. On no account should the original seed growth be grown on to form the main stem for exhibition plants. The modern varieties have the disconcerting habit of going "blind” on the main stem, on reaching a height of three or four feet. There is another job Which must be taken in hand at the earliest possible date, and that is the preparation of the site. Sweet peas will never make satisfactory progress in a loose rooting medium. Since the soil must be deeply turned,, it is always advisable to get this work done at the earliest possible moment. There is no single point on which growers, disagree more consistently than upon the preparation of the site. Each one of the experts has his own particular notion as to what manures are most suitable. One thing is certain, however, overfeeding is a far more common error than underfeeding, and the average grower is well advised to refrain from incorporating a heterogenous mixture of manures and fertilisers. Bone meal mixed with the bottom spit, and some well decayed manure mixed thoroughly through the bottom spit are always acceptable. The point to remember is that it is | an easy matter to feed the plants later on if they require it, but it is impossible to take away what has been burned in the soil if it proves to be too rich a diet. This is precisely what happens when the roots reach a layer of ■ manure placed in the bottom of the trench. An epidemic of bud dropping will set in just when one is expecting the flowers to develop. Another point, and an important one. is that our winters usually prove wet. and there is nothing sweet peas dislike more than a waterlogged condition at the root. The layer of manure at the bottom of the trench, regarded as essential by so many growers soaks up water like a sponge and provides a very state peas dislike. Dispense with the layers of manure in the bottom, especially in wet, heavy soils, and distribute the manure thoroughly through the soil. If this practice is followed, growth should be steady and strong with healthy foliage that augers well for a good display, of bloom,